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Government priorities pass the Parliament in a productive end to the year

MC 84/18

Senator the Hon. Mathias CormannMinister for Finance and the Public ServiceLeader of the Government in the SenateSenator for Western Australia

The Hon. Christopher Pyne MPMinister for DefenceLeader of the HouseFederal Member for Sturt

6 December 2018

The Government has successfully passed 72 bills through Parliament since 1 September 2018, covering priority areas including national security, trade and tax reform for hard working Australians.

The Government lowered taxes for 3.3 million small and medium businesses to 25 per cent.

Every state and territory is now better off under new laws passed by the Parliament that will deliver a fairer and more sustainable distribution of the Goods and Services Tax. An additional $9 billion in extra untied funding will be delivered to the states and territories over 10 years and an additional $1 billion in perpetuity once fully implemented.

In the last two months, the Parliament passed bills to enact the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, providing access for Australian exporters to unprecedented access to new markets around the world.

The Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme will commence soon, meaning any person who undertakes certain activities, on behalf of a foreign principal for the purpose of influencing a political or government process will be required to register under the scheme.

Australian Secret Intelligence Service officers will have an increased ability to protect themselves and others through the passage of the Intelligence Services Act Amendment Bill 2018. Officers will be able to protect a broader range of people and use reasonable force if someone poses a risk to an operation.

Following Bill Shorten’s capitulation, the Parliament has tonight passed one of the most important pieces of legislation - the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018.Our law enforcement and security agencies will now have more of the tools they say they need to combat serious crime, including terrorism, murder and child sex offences.

What is clear is that every test that has been set for us we have passed. We are a Government that delivers for Australians and we will continue to deliver for Australians.

A full list of Government bills that have passed the Parliament since 1 September is attached.